Public pressure leads to open meetings at Au Chateau
After legal consultation, board and administration agrees to become more transparent.
In November the Au Chateau Board of Management came under public pressure when they announced that meetings would no longer be open to the public.
Earlier in 2023, members of the public and the media could attend regular Au Chateau meetings by calling in via teleconference. But later in the year, the Board Chair, Daniel Gagne and Administrator ,Jacques Dupuis made the seemingly independent decision that meetings would become closed to the public. In an email to one member of the public, Gagne noted that:
“Currently under the by-law, electronic accommodation for those attending the meeting, is limited to board who for whatever reason cannot participate in person.”
Au Chateau is a non-profit organization with the Municipality of West Nipissing being it’s largest shareholders. Rulings by Ontario Ombudsman have indicated that public boards must always be open to the public. So, the November decision was a concern for many.
Prominent West Nipissing resident and runner up in last year’s mayoral elections, Dave Lewington called out council on the issue in November. In a social media post that went on to reach thousands of residents, Lewington noted “I believe you will be making a very serious mistake if the councillors who are part of the Au Chateau board participate in the meeting planned for this Wednesday November 15th.”
Lewington told council that it appeared the Administration of this city-owned organization was telling West Nipissing citizens that they were not responsible or accountable to them. He warned that by participating in such meetings, they would be participating in a “closed meeting” without a valid justification. Doing so is a violation of the council code of conduct.
After being pressed on the issue by a board member, Dupuis told the board via email that he had “sought legal advice on governance issues”. At their November 15th meeting, Dupuis was forced to tell the board that he was consulting with a lawyer at an undisclosed expense regarding the procedures and rules that his board had to follow. Specifically, he was seeking legal advice to see if meetings could be closed to the public.
It appears, he did not get the advice he was looking for. Because at this week’s meeting, Dupuis advised the board that as of January, any member of the public will be allowed to once again access the meetings by calling in.
The board was advised that members of the public would also be allowed to attend in-person, as long as they had received at least three shots of COVID-19 vaccines and/or a shot of the most recent XBB booster.
Significant Asset Owned by the Public
Au Chateau is set to receive $2.4 million from the West Nipissing budget in 2024 (a 12% increase from the $2.05 million they received in 2023) and many members of the public expect more transparency.
In April, when Mayor Kathleen Thorne-Rochon removed Chair Anne Tessier due to a disagreement with the Director (Dupuis), she described Au Chateau as “a valuable asset to the community with an annual budget of $17 million.”
Au Chateau is certainly valuable. Their latest financial statements in August indicate that they held over $9 million in cash alone. A significant sum for a non-profit organization with meetings off-limits to the public.
The next board meeting is slated for January 17th and there are bound to be many members of the public listening in.
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I can't tell you how excited I am about this. It may seem like an obvious step, but it's very much a win for civic engagement and representation. If we don't demand that our institutions work for us then they will any other interest. Your reporting is helping bridge the gap between the people's interest and our institutions.